Conservation Law Enforcement Corner March 2017

This column is designed to highlight the efforts of Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division (LED) officers who, among their many duties, protect Georgia’s wildlife, sportsmen and natural resources from game-law violators.

It would be interesting to know how much of the night-hunting activity that goes on along Georgia’s rural roads is done by teenagers. Remind any teens you know what a bad idea it is to send a high-powered rifle bullet on its way across a field at night, not knowing what, or who, might be in that bullet’s path.

Here’s a case from 2014 that demonstrates the problem.

Charlton County: At about 10 p.m. on Nov. 28, Charlton County Deputy Doug Popps contacted DNR Ranger Sam Williams. While on patrol on Highway 252, Popps saw a deer on the edge of the roadway near mile marker 5. When he exited his vehicle to move the dead deer farther into the ditch, he noticed the deer had been shot in the head with a small caliber rifle.

Popps continued to patrol on Highway 252, and 2 miles down the road he saw another deer on the shoulder near mile marker 7. It also had a gunshot to the head from a small caliber rifle.

In his Incident Report, DNR Ranger Williams said, “Popps gave the deer to a local resident and contacted me. I responded to the area and conducted a night hunting detail near Highway 252 until approximately 0200 hours (2 a.m.). I did not see any more activity during the detail. On the following evening, I conducted a night hunting detail on Highway 252 for a total of six hours. I heard one shot from a high-powered rifle nearby at approximately 2230 hours (10:30 p.m.) but was unable to locate anyone in the area.

“On Dec. 5 (a Saturday night), I conducted a night hunting detail on Highway 252 near mile marker 9. At approximately 2330 hours (11:30 p.m.), I observed a white SUV drive by my location going east at a slow rate of speed. The vehicle continued around a curve, at which time I could hear it slow down to a stop and then turn around and begin to travel westbound back toward my location. The vehicle came to a stop again just out of site around the curve. I saw a bright light appear to sweep the area through the fog and then heard several gun shots from that direction. The vehicle accelerated quickly and aggressively immediately after the shots, traveling back toward my location. As it drove past, I began pursuit of the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 252 and River Road.”

Ranger Williams reported that he approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and made contact with a 17-year-old Folkston teen. He saw two rifles in the front seat positioned next to the passenger, a 16-year-old from Folkston. A third person, an 18-year-old from Hilliard, Fla., was positioned behind the front passenger seat. Hilliard is located about 15 miles southeast of Folkston on Highway 301.

“I instructed all three occupants to exit the vehicle and secured them at the front of the SUV,” Ranger Williams said. “I removed, unloaded and secured the two rifles in the front seat of the SUV to my vehicle. Both rifles were 7mm magnums.

“I then looked through the back passenger window and observed two spotlights, the stock of a shotgun and a zippered pistol case. I opened the back door and removed a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9 mm pistol. Both weapons were also unloaded and secured in my patrol vehicle. While unloading the 9 mm pistol, I observed the barrel was warm to the touch. I asked (the backseat passenger) if that was the gun he had shot prior to the stop, and he stated yes. I asked (the driver) if there were any other weapons in the vehicle, and he initially stated no, but then told me about a .22-caliber revolver located in the console between the front seats. It was also removed and secured in my vehicle.

“Around that time, Charlton County Deputy Austin Kirton arrived at my location. He secured the subjects at the front of the SUV. I then questioned each subject separately, beginning with the backseat passenger. When first questioned, he stated he had shot at a road sign. The driver also stated that a road sign had been shot at when he was first questioned. When the front seat passenger was questioned, he stated the other passenger shot at a doe deer that was standing in the ditch. I then questioned the backseat passenger again, and he admitted to lying the first time and stated that he did shoot at the doe but missed her.

“All three subjects were escorted to Charlton County Sheriff’s Office, where the parents were contacted and instructed to come pick the teenagers up. All firearms and lights were returned to the parents of each teenager upon their arrival.”

The driver and backseat passenger received citations for hunting deer at night, hunting from a vehicle and hunting from public road. The teens were not fined. Both received 40 hours of community service to be done with the Charlton County Sheriff’s Office.

The front seat passenger, who was 16, “received warnings due to his age, but was advised age would not be a factor the next time.”